


Answer the Call

by teknical_difficulties



Series: Heroes of Hatchetfield AU [1]
Category: Hatchetfield Universe - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, and a veeerrrry vague reference to sexual assault, author not-so-cleverly avoids having to write a proper fight scene, call that a simp-erhero, meet cute superhero edition, paul is a simp AND a superhero, sometimes a family is a barista with plant powers and her pet venus fly trap monster, tw for period mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28388283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teknical_difficulties/pseuds/teknical_difficulties
Summary: During a battle with the villainous Madbolt, the meteor-powered hero Starfall- or Paul Matthews, as you may know him, sends out a distress call that is answered by a familiar face.
Relationships: Paul Matthews & Bill Woodward, Paul Matthews/Emma Perkins
Series: Heroes of Hatchetfield AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2081343
Comments: 25
Kudos: 45





	Answer the Call

**Author's Note:**

> Here's something you may not know about me! I _fucking LOVE_ Superhero AUs. And I came up with one for Paulkins, because of course I did. I _do_ want to expand this AU into a big multi-chapter fic someday, but _when_ that happens depends on how willing I am to have more than one multi-chapter fic going at once. So think of this as a prequel one-shot!

Everyone in Hatchetfield always seemed to have a fun way to spend their evenings. Seeing a movie at the Cineplex, going out to The Birdhouse with some buddies for a few drinks, or even just staying at home and watching TV alone. Paul heavily preferred the latter option. There was nothing more relaxing to him than coming home after a long day at CCRP, making some dinner, and taking a load off on his living room couch. Mundane, sure, but Paul was a pretty mundane guy, so it all worked out well. It used to be how he spent _all_ of his evenings.

Key words being _"used to be"_.

Sure, he still had nights like that _sometimes_. But ever since that meteor crashed into Lake Michigan five years ago and released a cosmic entity that for some reason chose _Paul_ to bear it's powers, peaceful nights were few and far between for him. Paul Matthews- wholly average guy with a taste for black coffee, a _dis_ taste for musicals, and a crush on a local barista, was no more. Nowadays he was Paul Matthews- mild-mannered businessman by day, revered and reclusive superhero _Starfall_ by night. I mean, he still harbored all those other traits, but I'm sure you understood my meaning. He hadn't exactly _wanted_ to become a superhero, but it's _kind of_ hard to live as an ordinary civilian when an alien god gives you the power to fly and turn your fists into burning rocks. _Especially_ when your hometown has so many supervillains running amok.

One of which being Madbolt, an electrically-inclined super with an enhanced intellect, slight psychic capabilities, and a knack for inventing, and Paul's kind-of-sort-of-but-not-really archenemy. The very same man whom Paul was currently locked in combat with on this fine Friday evening. In, where else, an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. And unfortunately for Paul, this fight wasn't exactly going in his favor, something he realized when Madbolt had tossed him against the wall and pinned him with his electric powers. As Madbolt watched with a cruel glint in his wild blue eyes, Paul made a mental note to ask Alice about adding some rubber attachments to his costume.

"Mission control?" Paul whispered into the headset that was built into the hood of his costume, eyeing Madbolt as he slowly sauntered towards him from the other side of the warehouse. "Mission control, _do you read me?_ "

For a moment, Paul was met with nothing but static, and he began to fear that his headset had been damaged during the fight. But soon enough, the familiar and ever-reassuring voice of Bill Woodward- his best friend and unofficially designated mission control, came in through the speaker on his right ear.

 _"This is mission control to Starfall,"_ Bill said calmly. _"What's the situation?"_

"I'm in a bit of a sticky situation right now with Madbolt," Paul explained, attempting to pry his arm from the sheet metal wall that he was pinned to. It wouldn't give, the static cling was too strong. "I need you to send out a distress call to the other supers in the area, tell 'em I'm in the old warehouse on Kettle Street."

 _"You got it, pal,"_ Bill complied, ever the dependable type. _"Over and out."_

The signal on Paul's headset fizzled out, and he was soon face-to-face with Madbolt. Though the old sparkplug's mouth was covered by a mouthpiece with a built-in voice modulator, Paul could _still_ see the malicious smirk that had undoubtedly spread across his face. Madbolt grabbed Paul's face with a black-gloved hand, tilting it so that he was forced to look the mad inventor in the eyes. Madbolt quite liked using that tactic when he thinks he's won, it gives him dominance over his victims.

"I heard you calling your little friend, Starfall," Madbolt quipped mockingly, his voice _chillingly_ metallic thanks to his voice modulator. He tutted in a faux-sympathetic fashion. "What's the matter? Had enough of our game for tonight?"

"On the contrary," Paul replied, grunting in frustration as he struggled uselessly against his static restraints. He looked his opponent in the eye. "It would seem to me that _you're_ the one getting tired. Why opt out of a proper fight in favor of restraining me? Am I just too strong for you, _old man?_ "

Being a smartass was a lot easier when your true identity is hidden behind a mask. Paul would _never_ say anything like that to someone without the guise of Starfall to keep his real self a secret. He'd never really understood the appeal of superhero banter in cartoons and movies and whatnot before, but he kind of got hooked on it once he tried it for himself. Unfortunately, Paul _also_ learned that being a smartass was a lot more _painful_ when the person you're bantering with is a trigger-happy supervillain with electric powers. And that was no more evident than when Madbolt sent a shock through Paul's system via the hand cupping his face in response to his snark. The caped baddie let out a sinister chuckle at the sound of Paul's pained yelp.

"Just _give up_ already, Starfall!" Madbolt exclaimed as he removed his hand from Paul's face, sounding both cocky and exasperated. "I've already robbed the First National Bank of Hatchetfield, and you're totally helpless! It'd be better to surrender now so you can at _least_ escape with your life intact!"

"What do you even _need_ all that money for?" Paul asked, ignoring both Madbolt's offer of surrender _and_ the tingling sensation on his face where he'd been zapped. "Don't your retirement funds cover all your expenses for the crazy bullshit you build?"

"F-for your information, I need this money for a _very_ ambitious endeavor I'm undertaking!" Madbolt exclaimed, almost _flustered_ at Paul's inquiry.

"Y'know that's what Kickstarter's for, right?" Paul deadpanned, unimpressed with his enemy's flimsy motive.

"Alright, I've had enough of your mindless blathering, Starfall!" Madbolt hissed in irritation, sending volts of electricity sparking into his hands. He raised his arms, preparing to deliver a devastating blow. _"Say goodnight!"_

But before the villain could strike, the ground began to shake ferociously. Madbolt whirled around in confusion, struggling to keep his balance.

"Wh-what's this?" Madbolt stammered in bafflement. "An earthquake!?"

"In Michigan!?" Paul scoffed as he was inadvertently shaken off the wall, causing him to ungracefully stumble to the ground.

As the quaking began to intensify, Paul wondered what the hell was going on. But then he remembered. _The distress call._ In all likelihood, this was no earthquake. This was the cavalry's arrival. And as though confirming Paul's suspicions, the flooring several feet away began to swell and crack. The swelling broke, and a large red flower bud rose up from it. The earthquake ceased, and Paul stood up. Whoever this super was sure knew how to make one _hell_ of an entrance.

"What the _fuck_ is that!?" Madbolt asked, his metallic voice modulator unable to hide his panic.

"Not 'what', _'who',_ " Paul corrected him, looking up at the bud with excited anticipation. "And I think we're about to find out!"

Once again, right on cue, the bud opened. Standing in the center of the massive red flower (possibly a hibiscus, but Paul didn't know his flowers so he wasn't 100% sure) was a short woman clad in a black and green outfit, with a mask and a pair of gloves to match. She appeared to be donning a black bodysuit, with a green jacket that tailed off into two points in the back. She wore leaf-like braces around her wrists and ankles that appeared to be fully-functional blades. Her brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, with several scattered petals sticking to it. And with the insignia of the letters _"WF"_ in the mouth of a Venus Fly Trap embroidered on the back of her jacket, Paul knew _immediately_ who'd come to answer his distress call.

Wild Flower, a relatively new super that had made her crime fighting debut in Hatchetfield only a year prior.

The plant-based super stepped down from her floral platform, her brown eyes hard as steel as she approached Madbolt, who watched with a dropped jaw.

"H-hey..." Paul stammered sheepishly with a wave, feeling oddly intimidated by her presence.

Wild Flower gave him a quick glance of acknowledgement, the smallest hint of a smile gracing her face, before looking back at Madbolt. _"Bolty, Bolty, Bolty..."_ she tutted, shaking her head. "What have you done now?"

Madbolt scoffed, crossing his arms. "R-really, Starfall!?" he sputtered, as though trying to mask his uneasiness with an air of faux-confidence. Paul was reminded of a battle between Wild Flower and Madbolt that had ended in a rather humiliating defeat for the villain. It had been all over the news a month ago, after all. It was quite evident that he didn't enjoy the prospect of facing her in combat again. "You need to call upon _the new girl in town_ for assistance?"

Paul and Wild Flower shared a knowing look. "You and I _both_ know that Wild Flower is the biggest new super in Hatchetfield since the days of Haywire, Madbolt." Paul retorted, looking back at his rival.

"Exactly," Wild Flower added on with an air of elegant pride. Paul smiled. She _clearly_ knew how much Hatchetfield had been singing her praises recently. "Besides Bolty, I don't think you can really judge _my_ credibility, when from what I've heard, you've been spending the last _how many years_ just robbing banks with _no_ variation?"

Paul snickered, surprised by her wit. He liked her already. Madbolt, on the other hand, obviously _detested_ Wild Flower. He began to stammer and grumble, red in the face with his fists clenched and sparking. The two heroes looked to their shared adversary, exchanging a confident look.

"Now, you're clearly outnumbered, Bolty," Wild Flower mused smugly, as though pretending to be deep in thought. "So really, what's stopping us from turning your ass in?"

Madbolt's eyes widened, and Paul took delight in knowing that he was backed into a corner. Admittedly, he would _miss_ fighting the old coot, but at least with Madbolt's imprisonment, there'd be approximately... _30%_ fewer hostage crises per month in Hatchetfield. The pair of crime fighters began to advance on the mad inventor, who staggered back.

 _"This is!"_ Madbolt declared dramatically, his hands firing up with sparks once more.

Without giving them time to react, Madbolt fired off a wave of electricity that pulsed around him, before sending it forward at the duo. Thanks to their close proximity to him, Paul and Wild Flower were unable to avoid the shock-wave, and were sent tumbling to the ground. By the time they got back on their feet, Madbolt had already teleported away with a dramatic flick of his cape. In other words, he bolted. Paul had a tendency to forget about his psychic abilities, probably because they were so _weak_ that he couldn't use them in combat. Only getaways such as this one. Dusting themselves off, the two supers turned to each other.

"Thanks for the help," Paul began awkwardly. "If you hadn't come in, I probably would've been burned to a crisp."

"Don't mention it," Wild Flower scoffed casually. "Sucks that we couldn't capture him, though. I would've liked to see who he was under that dumbass costume of his."

Paul laughed, and his gaze fell on the stolen money that Madbolt had seemingly forgotten. "We should probably return that money, huh?" he suggested.

"Probably," Wild Flower agreed with a nod. "Go ahead without me, though."

Paul turned back to his ally. "You sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," she replied, stretching her arms. "You did most of the work anyways."

"O-okay..." Paul stammered reluctantly. He didn't work with other heroes often, but when he did, he liked to at least _share_ the credit for the job with them. But maybe she was just shy or something. Paul had been that way when he first started off five years ago, always flying off before the authorities could arrive on the scene after a fight, leaving his opponent tied up to be taken in.

 _"But..."_ Wild Flower piped up, surprisingly sheepish despite her earlier boldness. "I _would_ like to ask you something. But not right here. Go return that money, and meet me by the fishing docks at Starry Cove."

"Oh, uh... o-okay...!" Paul complied, _thoroughly_ caught off-guard by her request. "Costumes or no costumes?"

"Costumes," Wild Flower replied. "It's the end of Summer, so there _might_ still be people there. Don't want people listening in on us and putting two-and-two together, after all."

Paul nodded, satisfied (if somewhat confused) with the arrangement. Wild Flower gave him a wave, and stepped back onto the flower in which she entered from. Once she was standing dead center on it's floral disc, the petals of the flower closed around her, and the bud sunk back into the ground. As the bud retracted back underground, the flooring seemed to repair itself, looking as though it had never been broken. Clearly her _exit_ game was just as strong as her entrance one.

 _"Starfall?"_ Bill suddenly chimed in through his headset, startling Paul. _"Do you read me?"_

"Loud and clear." Paul replied.

 _"What's your status?"_ Bill asked with understandable concern.

"Wild Flower got your distress call and came to my aid," Paul explained. "But Madbolt got away."

 _"Damn, I was hoping we'd catch him this time..."_ Bill sighed in disappointment.

"Yeah, me too, buddy," Paul huffed. "I'll ring you later, I gotta return this money and head to a quick meeting."

 _"Okay...?"_ Bill said, sounding a little curious. But not curious enough to press Paul for details, apparently. _"Over and out."_

~

Paul- still in the guise of Starfall, was soaring over Hatchetfield, having just finished returning the stolen money back to the First National Bank of Hatchetfield. He'd _narrowly_ avoided an interview with Donna Daggit of the Hatchetfield News. It's not that he didn't _like_ talking with Donna, it's just that he didn't care for media appearances. His mask didn't hide his face very well, so appearing on camera would be a risky endeavor. And even without his practical reasoning, Paul was just camera shy in general. Though if he had taken the interview, he probably could've given Wild Flower the credit she deserved for helping him. But, he reasoned with himself, Wild Flower had _also_ asked him to meet her at Starry Cove, so she probably didn't wanna be kept waiting. So Paul was heading there now.

As he flew past the city and towards the beach, Paul savored the feeling of the wind against his face. Flying had taken him a while to get used to, but after five years worth of practice, Paul had become quite the expert at it. And he _loved_ it. Going for late night flights when he was anxious had become his _favorite_ way to clear his head, and he couldn't deny the feeling of childlike giddiness he felt the first time his fingers brushed against a cloud. And don't even get him _started_ on the pure adrenaline of flying _just_ over the surface of the lake, and running his hand across the water. _That_ was the kind of Harry Potter shit his high school self would've _loved._

But now was not the time for scenic flights, now was the time for meeting Wild Flower at the fishing docks. And as Paul made his descent onto the soft, sandy beach, he saw her sitting on the edge of one of the docks, her legs dangling over the water. No one else appeared to be around. Landing carefully on his feet, he began to make his way over to her, but was stopped by an unexpected roadblock rising from the sand. A massive Venus Fly Trap, about Paul's height, growling as sand and a sweet-smelling saliva dripped from it's toothy, gaping maw. Startled, Paul stumbled back with a yelp, and the plant leaned in to further intimidate him.

"N-nice... plant...?" he stammered, not really knowing what to say in such a situation.

 _"Slack-Jaw!"_ Wild Flower's voice suddenly barked, and Paul looked over to see her running down the dock to meet him. The fly trap backed off, and Wild Flower gently lowered it's pod to her level, quietly cooing to the plant under her breath. _"It's okay, sweet boy, Starfall's good..."_

The plant- apparently named Slack-Jaw, began to purr affectionately as Wild Flower scratched it under it's... _chin?_ Much like one would do with a cat. Paul cleared his throat. "Friend of yours?" he asked semi-jokingly.

Wild Flower cast a glance at Paul, an apologetic look in her eyes. "Yeah, sorry about that," she chuckled, continuing to pet the purring fly trap. "I can summon Slack-Jaw to help me fight, and I had him out in case any supervillains saw me here and decided to try and hassle me." She looked back at her pet/sidekick, affection in her gaze. "He was just trying to protect me, _weren't you, Slacky?_ "

Paul took a moment to watch Wild Flower coo and dote over her leafy companion, a small smile on his face. After seeing her stoic and snarky demeanor back at the warehouse, he wouldn't have taken her for the type to baby-talk her pets. "So," he piped up after another couple seconds, catching the superheroine's attention. "What did you wanna ask me about?"

" _Oh!_ Uh..." Wild Flower exclaimed, removing her hand from Slack-Jaw's pod. The fly trap almost seemed to pout as she rummaged through the inner pockets of her jacket. "This is probably gonna sound silly, but..." she muttered, pulling a small notepad and a pen from her costume's coat. "Do you do autographs?"

"Autographs?" Paul echoed, surprised.

"Yeah, my nephew's a _big_ fan of yours," Wild Flower explained bashfully, dragging her foot across the sand. "He _loves_ superheroes. You should've _seen_ his face when I told him I was Wild Flower. And, uh... every time I work with another superhero, I try to get their autograph for him."

Paul couldn't help but grin. "That's really sweet," he said genuinely. Honestly, he didn't do autographs that often thanks to his shyness, but he was willing to make an exception. He held out his hand. "Sure, I'll sign it."

Wild Flower's eyes lit up, and she placed the pad and pen in his hand. "Thank you _so_ much, man," she said gratefully, sounding almost _relieved._ "He's gonna _flip_ when I give this to him."

Paul chuckled. "So, what's his name?" he asked.

"Tim." Wild Flower answered, returning her hand to the top of the eager Slack-Jaw's pod.

Nodding, Paul began to scrawl a short message on the paper, internally cursing his shitty handwriting.

_"To Tim, thanks for being a fan! Your friend, Starfall"_

Paul returned the paper and pen to Wild Flower, who put them back in her coat with another thank you. "So, what's your story, Starkid?" she asked, tilting her head at him. "How'd you get your powers?"

Paul blinked a few times, surprised by the question. "Oh, uh... did you hear about that meteorite that crashed into the lake a few years back?" he asked, nodding his head at the body of water beside them.

Wild Flower's eyebrows shot up, as if in recognition. "Oh, _yeah!_ " she exclaimed. "I heard about that! I was off in Guatemala when it happened, but when I came back last year, I was hearing all _about_ it! People were saying you showed up not long after it hit!"

"Yep, that's how I got my powers!" Paul explained enthusiastically, flattered that she'd apparently heard about and bothered to remember his _'origin story'_. "Though some people have their wires crossed and think I actually _came_ from space via the meteor."

Wild Flower laughed, and Paul felt his heart flutter a bit. She had a _really_ pretty laugh. "God, that's Hatchetfield for you..." she mused, her laugh trailing off into a fit of giggles that made the butterflies in Paul's stomach intensify. Holy _shit,_ she was cute. And familiar. _Weirdly_ familiar... But Paul brushed that off, an inquiry of his own on his mind.

"What about you?" he asked. "How'd you get yours?"

"Y'know how some supers are born with a gene that makes them get powers once they start puberty?" Wild Flower inquired. Paul nodded, and she pointed to herself. "That's what happened with me."

"Oh, _wow..._ " Paul gaped in astonishment. He was a big X-Men fan as a kid, so he always thought the supers born with that gene were the _coolest._ He was starting to feel like he was back in seventh grade, watching the technopathic Haywire being interviewed on the Hatchetfield Action News and just being _awestruck_ at how cool she was.

"Yeah, it sounds cool, but it's a _living_ hell to go through," Wild Flower said with a wince. "Like, one day everything's normal. And then the next morning, you're in _terrible_ pain, you're bleeding from your vagina, and now you're Bushroot from Darkwing Duck."

Paul busted up laughing, not expecting the Darkwing Duck comparison. It was apt, that's for sure. He almost felt bad for laughing- considering how hellish she'd just made super-puberty (for lack of a better term) sound, but thankfully she just laughed along with him. As did Slack-Jaw, though Paul had his doubts that the fly trap really understood what they were talking about.

"Oh, _Christ!_ " he guffawed.

"Yeah, and that's not even the best part!" Wild Flower exclaimed. "Best part is that I didn't even _know_ my powers had awakened until I went out into the kitchen, and my dad freaked out about the dandelions sprouting up through the floorboards where I'd stepped! I couldn't walk around barefoot without flowers and shit popping up where I stepped anymore!"

"God, I can't _imagine_ what it would've been like to get _my_ powers in puberty..." Paul snickered, looking down at his feet as his laughter died down.

"Yeah, and like, I _knew_ it was coming, considering my older sister _also_ had the gene," Wild Flower explained with a nostalgic sigh. "But it still freaked me the _fuck_ out when it happened."

"Your sister's a super too?" Paul asked, intrigued. Wild Flower nodded with an expression he couldn't read.

"Y-yeah, but..." she muttered uncomfortably. Slack-Jaw nuzzled against her arm with a whimper. "I don't wanna talk about her right now."

Paul winced, realizing it must've been a touchy subject for her. "Th-that's fine," he said softly, trying to think up a way to change the subject. His eyes landed on Slack-Jaw. "So, uh... Have you always been able to summon Slack-Jaw...?"

Wild Flower's expression brightened almost _immediately_ at the mention of her fly trap friend. "Probably, but I didn't know I _could_ summon him until a few years ago, back when I lived in Guatemala." she explained, affectionately running her hand over the plant's pod.

"Not to divert from the topic, but how long were you in Guatemala?" Paul asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. He just had _so_ many questions he wanted to ask her, though he couldn't really tell why.

"About a decade or so," Wild Flower replied, continuing to stroke Slack-Jaw, who purred and trilled under her gentle touch. "I moved there after graduating high school, but I came back after m-" she cut herself off. "After _Haywire_ died last year. I, uh... got worried about a possible superhero shortage, and decided to move back to Hatchetfield to start _really_ honing my powers."

She got that same solemn expression she'd gotten when Paul asked about her sister, so he decided to re-rail the story back to Slack-Jaw. She seemed to like talking about him. "How'd it first happen?" he asked. "Summoning Slack-Jaw, I mean."

Once again, Wild Flower's eyes lit up, and Paul couldn't help but admire how nice they looked. _Especially_ with the light of the setting sun against her face. "Oh, a guy I had a one-night stand with tried to break into my apartment in the middle of the night one time," she explained, as casually as one might've mentioned going to the grocery store to pick up some eggs, which _definitely_ surprised Paul. "While trying to use my powers to defend myself, I accidentally summoned Slack-Jaw, who promptly scared that fucker _off._ "

"Sweet Jesus..." Paul muttered in shock, not wanting to think about the implications of what could've happened had she _not_ managed to summon Slack-Jaw.

"Yep," Wild Flower said, still _startlingly_ casual. She turned back to Slack-Jaw, and began to scratch under his pod again. Her tone turned sweet and doting as she pressed her forehead against the plant's pod. _"And we've been inseparable ever since, isn't that right, sweet boy?"_

Slack-Jaw began to purr and nuzzle against Wild Flower as she stroked him, growling out a noise that sounded vaguely like the word _'Mama'_. Wild Flower began to giggle and fidget from the plant's show of affection, as though the fly trap was unintentionally (or possibly intentionally) tickling her with his attempt at cuddling. Paul felt himself blushing at the sight of her smile and the sound of her laughter, but then something clicked in his head. He _had_ met her before. Her eyes, her smile, her laugh... There was no doubt about it! He knew that supers didn't like being asked about their day-to-day identities, so he decided to bring it up _subtly_.

"Hey, uh..." Paul piped up. Slack-Jaw halted his playful attack on his master so she could acknowledge him. "I feel like I know you from somewhere."

Wild Flower eyed him suspiciously. "How come?"

"Well, there's this coffee shop I frequent," Paul began, already feeling like he was about to regret bringing this up. "And one of the baristas there looks and sounds an _awful lot_ like you..."

Paul strategically avoided mentioning that he was _ridiculously_ smitten with the barista in question, and hoped that his blush wouldn't give him away. Suddenly, Wild Flower summoned a vine from the ground, and _yanked_ Paul down to her eye level by the front of his shirt with it. Uh oh. He just made a terrible mistake, didn't he? Wild Flower stepped forward, looking him in the eye intensely, and smirked.

"Funny," she quipped, tilting her head to the side inquisitively, which definitely did _not_ help Paul in calming his flushed face down. There was a playful glint in her eyes, framed perfectly by her mask. "There's this coffee shop I work at, and one of the regulars looks and sounds an awful lot like _you,_ Starfall."

Paul was stunned speechless. Holy _shit_. It really _was_ her! For a moment he worried he'd just been seeing things, but her words and the way she squinted at him curiously left _no_ room for doubts in his mind. The barista at Beanies that he'd been so infatuated with for the better part of a year was standing right in front of him, in the guise of Wild Flower. The vine she'd summoned from the sand released it's hold on the front of his shirt- allowing him to stand straight up once more, and playfully flicked his nose before sinking back into the sand. Wild Flower smiled up at him knowingly.

"Meet me at Beanies tomorrow," she said. "As yourself, obviously."

"O-okay..." Paul agreed, flustered beyond belief.

Wild Flower giggled teasingly. "See you tomorrow then," she promised, stepping back with a wave goodbye. _"Black coffee guy~"_

"O-okay..." Paul repeated himself, an excited smile creeping onto his face.

With a snap of her fingers, Wild Flower turned to go and Slack-Jaw sunk back into the sand. Paul watched as she summoned another bud from the ground to make her exit, and as he prepared to take off, he made a mental note to call Bill and thank him when he got home.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this one! Comments are _very much_ appreciated!


End file.
